Part 3: Reflect on your findings •
Q1: Describe the general trend that your graph in Part 2 displays. Do this by answering the question: How does a variable star’s peak brightness change when it has a longer or shorter period of variability?
• Q2: Imagine you are looking at a 100 W lightbulb (let’s call it A) and a 10 W lightbulb (B) at the end of your driveway, about 5 feet away from you. Which one is brighter? Which one has a higher luminosity?
• Q3: Imagine that the 100 W lightbulb (A) is moved to 100 feet away from you, while the 10 W lightbulb (B) stays in place. Which lightbulb is brighter? Which one has a higher luminosity? Explain your answer:
• Q4: Imagine you are looking at two (different, new) lightbulbs way out in the desert at night. One of them (C) looks brighter than the other (D). What can you say with confidence? Pick one, and explain why: a) C is brighter than D b) D is brighter than C c) C is closer than Dd) D is closer than C e) C has a higher luminosity f) D has a higher luminosity•
Q5: Imagine that you are looking at Star #1 and Star #4 from the variable star graphs above. They both APPEAR to have the same brightness from your view here on Earth. You also observe them long enough to make those variable star graphs from above. Which star would you say is farther away from us here on Earth?